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from the when-does-activism-become-terrorism dept.
I was saddened to hear that two individuals who released fur animals and vandalized fur farms across America were busted: http://www.stltoday.com/news/national/fbi-arrests-activists-accused-of-releasing-mink/article_6c169b5d-dbbc-5dd1-adb0-534ee46af88b.html
But the arrest is sort of beside the point and there are two interesting tidbits in there. First and less interesting, is the ridiculous charge of terrorism under the "Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act" -- seriously, what they did is just plain old crime. Before you know it, going 10 over on the freeway will be considered an act of terrorism.
More intriguing, despite a lack of details on how they got busted, is this tidbit:
The indictment states that they covered their tracks by avoiding phones or logging into known online accounts and email. Instead, they used public Internet computers and encrypted email and cash for purchases while traveling. They would allegedly withdraw hundreds of dollars while back home in the San Francisco Bay Area before another trip.
The FBI states that they drafted communiques and posted them online to publicize their actions on websites associated with "animal rights extremists."
I'm going to guess automatic license plate readers were involved. Pure guess.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Monday July 27 2015, @01:11PM
In general I agree with what you're saying here, with the possible exception of the comment about combat. I didn't have much of an issue with your anger at their vandalism or with those particular acts being illegal.
My issue was with your stance on their releasing the mink and it seemed to me that your disdain for these people and gladness that they had been caught had as much to do with those acts and beliefs as it did with the vandalism and damage to property.
These people obviously believe that the end justifies the means. You, and the law (if the law as an inanimate entity can be considered to believe things) do not. Personally I'm not willing to cast judgement one way or the other and I think you are wrong to do that also.
If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?